Radiator shutter construction



Sept. 26, 1939.

E. A. BLUMENTHAL RADIATOR SHUTTER CONSTRUCTION Filed June 13, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 1939. E, A. BLUMENTHAL 2,174,358

RADIATOR SHUTTER CONSTRUCTIBN Filed June 13, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 will; 58

50131326, 1939; E1 A. BLUMENTHAL RADIATOR SHUTTER CONSTRUCTIQN 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 15, 1958 sa z. 26, 1939.

E. A. BLUMENTHAL 2,174,358 RADIATOR SHUTTER CONSTRUCTION Filed June 15, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet 4 p 26 1939- E. A. BLuMEm-HAL. 2,174 358 RADIATOR SHUTTER CONSTRUCTIOH -l-iled mine 13, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES RADIATOR SHUTTER CONSTRUCTION Edward A. Blumenthal, Chicago, Ill. Application June 13, 1938, Serial No. 213,461 15 Claims. (Cl. 18962) This invention relates to an improved type of stock of shutters due to the number of sizes reshutter device as applied to air-cooled radiators quired and were obliged to suffer large inventory for motor vehicles, and more particularly it is losses each year when new models made their directed to a type of construction that novelly appearance upon the market. The confusion lends itself to quick assembly upon radiator and added expense of carrying a stock onhand 5 fronts although of different sizes, particularly of all sizes of shutters and the expense of dies those protected by grilles or false fronts adapted and tools to manufacture the same greatly in to form a component part of the general body creased not only the cost of manufacture but design of the streamlined car, also the cost of distribution. The present inven- It i understood that water cooling systems tion is designed to overcome these disadvantages 10 are essential to efficient performance of vehicle by the provision of a shutter structure capable motors and that various shutter devices have of being built-up as it is assembled upon the been u ed t protect th di to front during radiator front whereby it will fit radiators of cold weather to control the air-flow theredifferent sizes without requiring additional parts through, and therefore, to control the temperaor fittin 1 15 ture of the cooling system and prevent too rapid To t the present e t on also has as dissipation of the heat. With the advent of the a p i ry p p e he design f a h tter of streamlined body design and the appearance of a standard sections or parts that can be readily false front for the radiator in the form of grille assembled upon radiators of different hei d Work, radiator shutters have become practically different widths, each part or section preferably 20 obsolete. A definite desire has been noted on being extens to adapt itself to d e e the part of the car manufacturer to design and Widths and of sizes pe t ing ready assembly construct the grille work as a part of the general upon radiator fronts of different heights.

ATENT OFFICE body design, and to maintain this body design Moreover, this invention uniquely permits the and prevent any attempt to destroy it by the use of such standard sections or parts of the 25 use of a radiator shutter, type described that may be readily employed to An object of the present invention is to provide pr i a p structure r m y pa a shutter that may be readily applied to an airof fitting radiator fronts of different. sizes, cooled radiator of a motor vehicle provided with whereby further to provide a radiator shutter a false front or grille work without changing or mechanism that readily adapts itself to a radi- 3 altering the design, appearance or construction 0 front p o d y a false grille Work of the false front or grille work. ou h the insertion and mounting of those To this end, it is the primary purpose of the standard sections in the limited space provided invention to provide a shutter construction that between the grille and the radiator front, withcan be readily adapted for mounting between out changing the construction of the radiator or 35 the false front or grille work and the radiators, rille, r h r v f y y p r h s without necessarily requiring temporary removal the grille, Or t e app and design Of t e of the grille work, there being provisions percar front which car manufacturers insist upon mitting a unique form of assembling the shutter preserving in harmony with the general design within the limited space between the radiator of the body, and finally without requiring addi- 40 and grille work. tional fixtures or appurtenances other than the A further object of the, invention is to provide fittings C mp Component parts of the an improved type of shutter construction that standard sections. may be assembled, while being mounted, to fit Other objects and advantages of the invention radiator fronts of different sizes without requirwill be apparent from the following description 45 ing special parts or fittings to compensate for taken in connection with the accompanying size variations. drawings which form a part hereof.

Manufacturers each adopt individual designs, In the drawings: shapes and sizes for their various makes of cars Figure 1 illustrates an automobile body having which necessitated, before the adoption of the a false front or grille work protecting the radi- 50 false front or grille, the carrying in stock of a ator core, the hood cover being partially open on great number of shutter parts to meet all reone side to show the space usually provided bequire-ments or demands. A change in design is tween the radiator core and the grille work in usually accompanied by a change in size. Conthis type of body construction, the radiator front sequently, dealers were obliged to carry a large being easily accessible by means of this space for the mounting of a radiator shutter assembly embodying the present invention when the hood cover is lifted;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with a portion of the grille work broken away to illustrate a shutter construction embodying the present invention mounted in front of the radiator core;

Fig. 3 illustrates only those parts of the body front that are necessary to show the method of assembling the various standard shutter sections into a built-up unitary shutter assembly, this view specifically showing the condition of the assembly after the first or lower section has been mounted against the radiator front and the next section about to be assembled thereto;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view illustrating the first or lower section carrying tie rods that may be used to hold the various sections in an assembled unit;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of Fig. 4 when this lower section is mounted upon the radiator core;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged front elevation of the shutter assembly;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating one form of power means that may be employed to effect the opening and closing adjustments of the shutter blades;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the operating bar shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 illustrates a shutter section of three blades;

Fig. 11 illustrates a shutter section of two blades;

Fig. 12 illustrates a shutter section of one blade;

Fig. 13 is a top plan view of any one of the sections illustrated in Figs. 10 to 12, inclusive, to which a radiator core mounting bracket has been secured;

Fig. 14 is a vertical sectional view through the end fittings that pivotally carry the shutter blades at their ends and in this manner form the various sectional units that are employed in making the built-up unitary assembly embodying the present invention;

Fig. 15 illustrates a section of three blades which are laterally extensible if desired to compensate for varying widths of radiator fronts;

Figs. 16, 17 and 18 illustrate the spring snap button construction that may be used to secure the blades to the end fittings;

Fig. 19 is an enlarged detail View of a portion of the shutter assembly mounted in front of a radiator core and illustrating the means employed to effect opening and closing adjustments of the blades. the blades being shown in closed position;

Fig. 20 is a similar view but showing the blades in open adjustment;

Fig. 21 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one end of the shutter blade to illustrate one possible form or type of blade that may be employed;

Fig. 22 is a sectional view through two of the blades in closed position to illustrate the one form of interlocking that may be employed between adjacent edges of blades to provide a closed front for the radiator core to out off the fiow of air through the radiator when the blades are closed;

Fig. 23 is a similar view but illustrating the blades in open position;

Fig. 24 illustrates a modified form of shutter prises a number of sectional units adapted to be assembled into a unitary structure as they are mounted upon a radiator front, it being understood that these sections may be attached to the radiator core, shell or in close proximity to the front of the radiator through intermediate fittings or connections. Each sectional unit consists of end fittings and one or more shutter blades pivotally mounted therebetween. It is the purpose of the invention to construct these sectional units in a manner admitting of individual assem- 1 bly of each to secure a built-up structure that will. fit practically any size radiator front without providing special appurtenances and be capable of adaptation particularly to radiators that are provided with a false front or a grille work and have a limited space in front thereof in which to mount a shutter that will control the air-flow through the radiator. The advantages of this type of sectional construction will be readily apparent. end of an automobile body to show how the false front or grille work prevents mounting of a shutter mechanism thereupon and the limited space giving access to the radiator front that prevents the mounting of prior art shutters without removing the grille work. Prior art shutters cannot be adapted to the radiator front because of this aforesaid limited space and the obstruction of the grille work.

As shown in the form illustrated in Figs. 2 to 23, i

inclusive, each shutter section comprises two pairs of end fittings I and 2, the fittings of each pair being designated 3 and 4. Fittings 3 and 4 are preferably tubular members having interconnecting ends that may be in the form of a slot 5 at one end and a projection 6 at the other end. Projection 6 of each fitting is adapted to interconnect with slot 5 of the adjoining shutter section. To the end of making all parts of the present construction standard and capable of being assembled together as the shutter mechanism is mounted, each of the fittings 3 and l is provided with fixedly securing fastening studs I having a spacing fiange 8, a shank 9, and a head ill (see Figs. 16 to 18). Studs 1 may form trunnions for carrying shutter blades ll between fittings 3 and 4 of opposite pairs l and 2. The particular design of shutter blades II is of no great consequence but each may be preferably provided with laterally formed end flanges l2 having openings I3 punched therein and slitted as indicated at M, so that heads I 0 of studs 1 may be forced through openings l3 and locked therein as illustrated in Fig. 18. In this manner a spring connection is formed that will provide easy assembly of the shutter blades to end fittings 3 and 4 either at the factory or by a workman assembling the shutter mechanism upon the radiator front.

Each shutter section may have any number of blades, as shown in the drawings and particularly in Figs. 6, 7 and 10 to 14, inclusive. The number of shutter blades II contained in each section will depend upon their width and the length of the fittings 3 and 4. Fig. 12 illustrates a section with one shutter blade H while Figs. 11

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated the front and 10 illustrate sections with two and three blades. The number of sections containing three blades or two blades or one blade that will be used in a shutter assembly will depend upon the height of the radiator front and the area thereof to. be. covered by the shutter mechanism.

One or more sections may be furnished with a bracket l5 having side legs |6 welded at H to inner fitting 3. Brackets |5 are employed to attach one or more sections to the radiator core, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 and in sectional detail in Fig. 5. It. will be understood that I do not wish tobe limited to the number of sections attached to the radiator core. However, the bottom section designated broadly as I8 may have a bracket l5 secured thereto as illustrated in Fig. 4, which bottom bracket may be attached to radiator l9, this being illustrated in Fig. 3 as the first step in assembling the shutter mechanism. One form of attachment of bracket |5 to radiator I3 is illustrated in detail in Fig. 5, although different forms of attachment may be used. Each mounting bracket |5 may be provided with a number of longitudinal slots 20 of limited length in its front face and with openings 2 l therein to receive bolts 22 that are adapted to be passed through openings between the vertical water pipes of the radiator core. The inside end of bolt 22 may receive a nut 23 while the outer end may receive a disk-shaped nut 24 having pins 25 that lie in slots 25 so as to prevent nuts 24 from turning and thereby facilitate the assembly of the bolts 22 in the mounting of bottom section l8. Any suitable type of gasket 26 may be interposed between the inside face of mounting bracket I5 and the fins of the radiator core. After bottom section H3 is mounted, as illustrated in Fig. 3, by either mounting the inner fittings 3 with bracket |5 welded thereto to the radiator core as illustrated in Fig. 5, and then by attaching blades thereto and to the outer fittings 4, or by first mounting the blades to the fittings 3 and 4 and then attaching the section as a unit to the radiator front, this work being accomplished by the mechanic reaching, through opening 30 between the grille work 3| and radiator H3 at the top, a pair of tie rods 3| and 32 are then inserted through the openings of fittings 3 and 4. Tie rods 3| and 32 may be threaded at each end, and, as they are passed through these fittings 3 and 4 of the bottom section, nuts 33 or like fastening members may then be, secured to the lower ends. Usually a pan or bottom structure 34 is provided under radiator I9, as illustrated. in Fig. 3. In the assembling of these sections, rods 3| and 32 may be dropped to rest upon pan 34 so as to provide sufficient space in the area of opening 30 to permit the easy insertion and threading of the next sections upon. these rods 3|. and 32, all as illustrated in Fig. 3. As the second section, designated broadly as 35 in Fig. 3, is threaded upon tie rods 3| and 32, it is allowed to drop down upon bottom section |8 so as to bring projections 6 of fittings 3 and 4 on each side of bottom section i8 into engagement with openings 5 in the bottom of fittings 3 and 4 of this second section 35. Each additional section is likewise threaded upon tie rods 3| and 32 until a built-up shutter struc ture is obtained that will cover the desired area in front of the radiator core I9.

As illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, another section, designated broadly as 36, is likewise provided with a mounting bracket |5 for attachment to radiator core I9. It is preferable to attach the assembly to the radiator core substantially at the bottom and at the top of the radiator core I9, although this is not essential as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It will be observed that in building up the assembly shown in Fig. 6, a larger portion of the sections is of the type shown in Fig. 10 comprising three radiator blades. One of these sections may be of the type shown in Fig. 11 having two shutter blades. To illustrate the flexibility of adapting the present construction to radiator cores of different heights in order to cover the desired area in front thereof, I have purposely shown the top section in Fig. 6 to be of the type shown in Fig. 12 having only one shutter blade. This is purposely included to illustrate how these sections may be of different heights and include one or more blades in order to secure this builtup structure, as aforesaid, to cover the desired area of radiator cores of different heights without requiring the use of additional fittings or deviating from standard equipment. It will be understood that an important advantage is obtained in the use of standard equipment because it minimizes thestock that those in the industry are required to keep on hand in order to adapt this type of shutter mechanism to the various types and makes of cars.

Automatic operation of the shutter blades H to effect opening and closing adjustments may be accomplished in any desirable way, there being shown however a thermostat 40 adapted to be mounted upon the radiator core by means of bolts 4| or the like, as illustrated in Fig. 8, and a flexible connection 43 leading therefrom to a bracket 44 that may be formed integrally, if so desired, with the side leg it of mounting bracket |5 secured to section 36. Housing 45 of flexible connection 43 may be suitably anchored in bracket 44. A flexible member or wire 46 passing through housing 45 may be at tached to a pin 41 in any suitable way. Pin 41 may project from fitting 4 of one of the upper shutter sections. A spring 48 attached at one end to the outer end of pin 41 may be attached at its opposite end 49 to a plate 50 secured by one of the nuts 5| or like fastening members that will be attached to the upper threaded ends of tie rods 3| and 32 to hold the latter in place. These nuts 5| are threaded upon the upper end of tie rods 3| and 32 after all shutter sections/ are mounted in place. Thermostat 4|) may comprise any suitable type of thermal device such as the wafer type 52 suitably filled with an expansible fluid. A pin 53 is attached at one end to a plate 54 that is adapted to bear against, wafers 52. The opposite end of pin 53 is pro vided with a central slot 54', and between a cotter pin 55 and a washer 56, an actuating bar 51 is adapted to be held. Pressure will be exerted against washer 55 by a spring 58 in order. to hold this bar outwardly in slot 54. Bar 51 is pivoted at 59 to a fixed arm 60. One end of bar 51 is connected to flexible member 46, while the opposite end is connected to a manually operable flexible member 6|, havinga spring 62 inserted therein. The opposite end of manually operable member 6| may pass under the hood of the automobile body and extend through dashboard 63 and be accessible to the driver of the vehicle.

When the temperature of the cooling medium in radiator core l9 rises during the operation of the motor and it is desirable to allow the air to pass through the radiator core in order to keep the temperature from becoming excessive;

thermostatic members 52 expand and push rod 53 outwardly. Actuating bar 51 is then pivoted about its fulcrum point 59 to exert a pull upon flexible member 46, which in turn exerts a downward pull upon the outer fittings 4 of each pair I and 2 carried upon tie rod 32. Inasmuch as the inner fittings 3 carried upon tie rod 3| are secured in fixed position by virtue of mounting brackets I5, this downward pull upon the outer fittings 4 will cause blades II to move to open position, as illustrated in Figs. 20 and 23. Blades II are held in open position until the temperature of the cooling medium drops to a predetermined degree. If manual control of the shutter mechanism is desirable, which might occur in cold weather upon parking of the vehicle after the motor has been in operation for some time, the driver may actuate flexible member BI so as to pivot bar 51 about point 59 against the action of spring 58 whereby to release fiexible member 46 and allow spring 48 to lift the outer fittings 4 upwardly and cause shutter blades II to return to closed position. Although I have shown a thermally actuated device 40 as illustrative of a power means to effect opening and closing adjustments of blades II, it will be understood that the remaining features of the invention are not necessarily dependent thereupon, because these features may be used and their advantages enjoyed with any other type of power means. Moreover, the thermal device 40 or other power means employed may be mounted upon the radiator cor-e or body of the vehicle in different ways without departing from the scope of the invention. I find, however, that the structure shown herein novelly lends itself to automatically or manually operated means, because outer fittings 4 of each pair I and 2 can be unitarily mounted together to operate as a single member in effecting pivotal movement of blades I I, while the inner fittings 3 may be readily assembled in an advantageous manner to provide a rigid unit-like member to which blades II are pivoted, as shown in detail at 65 in Figs. 20, 22 and 23, these pivotal points 65 serving as the points about which blades II are swung when a downward or upward pull is placed upon the outer fittings 4. Blades II are pivotally connected at 66 to fittings 4, both pivotal connections 65 and 66 being by means of studs I, if so desired, having their heads 9 snapped through split openings I3 in ends I2 of the blades. It will be understood, however, that other forms of connections between blades II and fittings 3 and 4 may be used.

It will also be understood that fittings 4 of 'the pair opposite the one on the side connected to the thermostat 40 for effecting the opening and closing adjustments of the blades. may be omitted if so desired. In other words, fittings 4 of pair I, as shown in Fig. 13, may be omitted when wire 46 of flexible connection 43 leading from thermostat 40 connects to fittings 4 of pair 2 on the right-hand side, because it is found that blades II may be made sufiiciently rigid as not to require fittings 4 on both sides thereof. I have shown such an arrangement in the modified form shown in Figs. 24 to 28, inclusive, to be presently described.

To the end of utilizing any number of shutter sections to connect the assembly to the radiator front I 9, I have shown in Fig. 14 radiator mounting bracket I5 secured only to an intermediate section. This intermediate section may be so positioned between the ends of the shutter mechanism that it will provide an adequate connection to hold the entire shutter mechanism to the radiator front.

To make the construction shown herein ad- J'ustable to different widths of radiator fronts whereby to facilitate mounting the various sections in position through the limited space 30 between radiator I9 and grille work 3|, as shown in Fig. 1, and to permit standardization of parts in order to eliminate the necessity of carrying sections of many different widths in stock, Fig. illustrates a section having the usual end fittings, such as 3 and 4 of either of the embodiments herein disclosed, and a plurality of blades III that are in themselves extensible lengthwise. This extensibility may be accomplished in any suitable way, but for the purposes of illustration, each blade I0 is made of two parts 'II and I2 arranged in telescopic relation. If part 'II is adapted to slide within part 12, a series of projections I3 may be provided on part II that are adapted to ride into and engage in openings or depressions 14 provided in part 12. In this manner, the blades of each section may be adjustable lengthwise to provide lateral adjustment of the section, and any rattling or free movement between their parts II or 12 will be obviated by projections 13 engaging in openings or depressions 14.

When the shutter blades are made extensible as shown in Fig. 15, radiator core mounting brackets I5 may likewise be made extensible in substantially the same manner, so that the shutter sections carrying the brackets I5 can be made extensible as a unit.

Various forms of construction may be employed to interconnect or fit the ends of fittings 3 and 4 together with or without employing tie rods 3I and 32. As an alternative embodiment, Figs. 24 to 28, inclusive, illustrate the fittings on one side of blades II to comprise inner and outer fittings 80 and 8| (similar to fittings 3 and 4) that may be made of any structural form, such as of channel shape or of hollow tubing, and, on the other side of blades II, to comprise inner fittings 80 only, outer fittings 8| being eliminated on this other side because they are on the side opposite the side connected to the thermostat 40 and are therefore not essential. Each fitting 8!] and 8| may have one of its ends reduced as indicated at 82 in Fig. 2'7, so as to fit into the adjacent end of the adjoining fitting. The adjoining fitting may be provided with slots 83 in opposite sides while the reduced end 82 of the adjoining section may be provided with struckout portions 84 that will spring into slots 83 to effect a locking relation between these fittings at adjacent ends. I illustrate the reduced end 82 at the lower end of fittings 80 and BI and slots 83 with their inner locking lips 84 to show one of many expedient ways to interconnect the fittings of each pair I and 2 without necessarily employing the tie rods SI and 32 shown in the preferred embodiment. It will be understood that the form of construction shown in Figs. 24 to 28, inclusive, advantageously provides fittings for each shutter section that may be made as standard parts and readily assembled in place at the front of radiator I9, the work of assembling being easily accomplished in an expedient way by the attendant reaching downwardly through opening provided at the top between the grille work 3I' and radiator I9.

The foregoing description is believed to disclose fully a shutter mechanism of new and novel characteristics and capable of accomplishing resuits of great value and importance in this art.

geously permitting easy insertion of the mechanism by means of a sectional structure that may be readily assembled to each other with a minimum of labor, effort and expense.

The structure shown herein is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and only requires a minimum of parts to be carried by dealers to meet the requirements of various sizes and shapes of different makes of automobiles.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the gist of my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adopt the same for use under varying conditionsof service, without eliminating certain features, which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and se cured to me by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a built-up shutter assembly serving to control the air-flow through a cellular radiator core having a grille carried in front thereof, a plurality of shutter sections between said radiator core and said grille, each section comprising one or more shutter blades, means for connecting a shutter section to each end of said radiator core, and means connecting the remaining shutter sections to said shutter sections connected to said radiator core.

2. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of shutter sections, each having one or more shutter blades, means for connecting'one of said shutter sections to said radiator core, and means for connecting the remaining shutter sections to said shutter section connected to said radiator core.

3. In a build-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of shutter sections, each having one or more shutter blades, means for connecting certain of said. shutter sections to said radiator core, means for connecting the remaining shutter sections to said shutter sections connected to said radiator core, and means for connecting all said shutter blades to effect a unitary movement in the opening and closing adjustments thereof.

4. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of shutter sections, means for first connecting one of said shutter sections to said radiator core, and interconnecting fittings on said shutter sections for connecting the remaining shutter sections to said shutter section first connected to said radiator core.

5. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of shutter sections, means for connecting one of said shutter sections to said radiator core, an apertured fitting on opposite sides of each shutter section, and a rod for each side passing through said apertured fittings to connect all said shutter sections into a unitary assembly.

6. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of shutter sections each comprising end fittings to which one or more shutter blades are pivotally mounted, means for interconnecting the end fittings of adjacent sections into a sectionally built-up unitary shutter assembly, and means for connecting said assembly to and in front of said radiator core.

7. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator 'core, a plurality of shutter sections each comprising end fittings to which one or more shutter blades are pivotally mounted, means secured to the end fittings of one section for first attaching said section in front of said radiator core, and means for interconnecting the end fittings of adjacent sections and of said one section into a sectionally built-up unitary shutter assembly.

8. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-fiow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of pivotally mounted shutter blades, end fittings for carrying one or more of said shutter blades in pivotal relation, means for assembling said end fittings into a unit by interconnecting the fittings of adjacent shutter blades, and means for connecting the fittings of one or more shutter blades to said radiator core.

9. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of pivotally mounted shutter blades, apertured end fittings for providing the pivotal mounting of one or more of said shutter blades, end rods for assembling said end fittings thereon, and means on certain of said. end fittings for attaching the same in front of said radiator core.

10. In a built-up shuter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of shutter blades, a plurality of fittings arranged in pairs between which said shutter blades are pivotally mounted, each pair of said fittings being connected to one or more blades adjacent opposite edges of said blades, means for connecting corresponding end fittings of adjacent pairs into a fixed unitary shutter assembly, means for connecting the other fittings of adjacent pairs to effect a unitary movement of all said blades in the opening and closing adjustments thereof, and means for connecting said assembly to said radiator core.

11. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of shutter blades, a plurality of fittings arranged in pairs between. which said shutter blades are pivotally mounted, the fittings of each pair being movable relative to each other, means for connecting corresponding end fittings of adjacent pairs into a fixed unitary shutter assembly, and means for connecting the other fittings of adjacent pairs to effect a unitary movement of all said blades in the opening and closing adjustments thereof.

12. In a built-up shutter assembly disposed between a cellular radiator core and a grille carried in front thereof to control the air-flow through said cellular radiator core, a plurality of shutter blades, a plurality of apertured fittings arranged in pairs between which said shutter blades are pivotally mounted, each pair of said apertured fittings being connected to one or more blades adjacent opposite edges of said blades, a rod upon which corresponding apertured fittings of adjacent pairs are mounted to provide a rigid unitary shutter assembly, and a second rod upon which the other apertured fittings of adjacent pairs are mounted to effect a unitary movement of all said blades in the opening and closing adjustments thereof.

13. In a built-up shutter assembly serving to control the air-flow through a radiator core and to be assembled upon the front face thereof, a plurality of shutter blades arranged substantially in overlapping edge-to-edge relation and thereby cooperating with each other to form a continuous closure for the front of said radiator core when they are in closed position, fittings at the opposite ends of said blades for pivotally carrying thereon one or more of said blades in sectional unit relation, the end blades of each unit being in said overlapping edge-to-edge relation with the end blades of adjacent units, and means for interconnecting all said fittings end to end into a continuous substantially rigid frame assembly extending substantially along all said blades at said opposite blade ends and upon which frame assembly said blades are pivotally carried whereby said blades may be assembled into a sectionally built-up unitary shutter assembly upon the front face of the radiator core.

14. In a built-up shutter assembly serving to control the air-flow through a radiator core and to be assembled upon the front face thereof, a plurality of shutter blades arranged substantially in overlapping edge-to-edge relation and thereby cooperating with each other to form a continuous closure for the front of said radiator core when they are in closed position, fittings at the opposite ends of said blades for carrying one or more blades in sectional unit relation, the end blades of each unit being in said overlapping edge-to-edge relation with the end blades of adjacent units, means for interconnecting certain of said fittings into a continuous substantially rigid frame assembly extending substantially along all said blades at said opposite ends whereby said blades may be assembled into a sectionally built-up unitary shutter assembly upon the front face of the radiator core, the remaining fittings positioned along one end of said blades providing an operating connection formed in the assembly of said units, and means on certain of said fittings for connecting the shutter assembly to said radiator core.

15. In a built-up shutter assembly serving to control the air-flow through a radiator core and to be assembled upon the front face thereof, a plurality of shutter blades arranged substantially in overlapping edge-to-edge relation and thereby cooperating with each other to form a substantially continuous closure for the front of said radiator core when they are in closed position, rigidly assembled members adapted to be rigidly attached to said radiator core at opposite ends of said blades, said blades being pivotally mounted upon said members, said members comprising a plurality of assembled interconnecting parts, each part carrying one or more blades in sectional unit relation with the end blades of each unit in said overlapping edge-to-edge relation with the end blades of adjacent units, and an operating member to which said blades are pivotally attached for swinging movement about their pivotal mounting upon said other members, said operating member also comprising a plurality of assembled parts forming a part of each sectional blade unit.

EDWARD A. BLUMENTHAL. 

